An Emerald Snow Storm
by Delinquent Panda
Summary: (Alternate universe) Warning: Will become yaoi soon, not sure how hardcore yet but be prepared. Toshiro works at a club called The Storm at nights to try an keep up with the bills after he is kicked out of his ex's place. Ulquiorra has begun to frequent The Storm now too. What will happen when they finally meet? -Please review if possible, all feedback is helpful.-
1. Chapter 1

Toshiro shivered softly. Hm. How unusual. It was not like him to shiver at all, like ever. It certainly wasn't from the cold, which was certain as Toshiro had never felt the cold a day in his life. Yet as he wandered down the snow-dusted sidewalk toward his work he couldn't help but feel the goose bumps rise on his skin and the uncontrollable tiny muscle spasms that went through him. Was it a foreboding perhaps? A sign of things to come? Maybe.

Ulquiorra felt nothing –as usual. He was strange like that, but it didn't occur to him to mind. He was just built that way he guessed, and he thought that was fine, that he didn't need to change that about himself. Feelings got in the way, what good was sensation when it in the end would only bring pain? That was what Ulquiorra thought.

He was out on the town tonight, as he was most nights due to new working hours at that job he despised. Ulquiorra was working for the most horrid boss at the company; the old one had left and put that control freak in charge. He didn't like the new boss since he could no longer work the hours he wanted, he had to do every single thing according to this new guy's style and heaven forbid if one little thing was out of line –to the new boss it meant the whole company would fall apart apparently. He missed the creative licence that used to be allowed for his work -that was how he had become the top human resource there; it looked like the kiss-asses were going to take over now. He wouldn't pander though, it wasn't his style.

Soon Ulquiorra had reached his destination. He looked up at the dim red and yellow lights that lit the street and the bright neon signs. The place he was headed to was a little more discreet, small and tucked away behind the more trashy looking bars and clubs and brothels. The Storm was a small dark night club where you could find just about any fetish you wanted –Ulquiorra wasn't especially kinky in any way, he was, however, curious. And what was he curious about you may ask? A certain spikey, ice-haired, ocean-eyed little someone who worked the floor at The Storm…

That certain someone was now dressed in the tackiest uniform you could imagine. He was made to wear tight rock-star black leather pants, a white silk V collared button-down shirt, and a chunky faux gold chain. Poor Toshiro was subjected to this attire every night from 7pm to 2am, since it was the boss' outfit of choice for him, and yes, this boss' name was Urahara. The other owners of The Storm club, Juushiro and Shunsui, were both a little more forgiving on the whole uniform thing but Urahara stood firmly on Toshiro's current outfit, claiming it was what the customers wanted –and he certainly wasn't wrong, but the kinds of people who liked it were definitely the 'wrong' kind of people.

Toshiro did his best despite the less than desirable dress, the still present sense of something hanging over him, and the awful customers as he needed the money. It was not easy to pay the rent and bills as an orphan fresh out of school. He would have been okay if he had known his parents or if there had been a trust made for him, but he was abandoned and so no such luck. Everything he had, he had made for himself. He only lived on the basics too, after his ex, Shuhei, had kicked him out. It had been a long while since then –over a year now. Toshiro had seen it coming but it didn't make life any easier being out of house and home. Right now he rented with his roommates Ichigo and Renji, but he didn't think he could handle those two much longer… They honestly drove him nuts. Their sexual tension was killing him. He wished he could just tell them to shut up and get together already but they were in that phase where they liked each other though neither one knew it about the other.

Toshiro sighed and flipped the stray lock of hair out of his eyes as he continued on his drink serving route. He was trying to avoid the bar as much as he could as some grade A perverts were hanging around. He knew they were just waiting for him so he hoped no one was after him to make an order for a while. From unfortunate experience, Toshiro had learnt that no matter how long he made them wait they would still get what they were after. He was just trying to delay the inevitable really.

It seemed that luck was not on his side tonight either as the evening began to pick up and he soon had three rounds of drinks to deliver, which meant time at the bar, which in turn meant time to get felt up… He sighed softly once more and turned to walk back to the bar, giving the men as wide a berth as he could which was difficult in the now slowly filling space, and just as he thought he was safe he felt a most distinct feeling of a large hand on a very… private place (Granted it wasn't so private in these tight leather pants). He frowned and squeezed his eyes shut as the hand gripped his junk, trying not to pull away. He had to let them do it, it was the house rules. The customer is always right and when he said something and they denied it, it was him who got punished.

Ulquiorra had just entered The Storm as Toshiro began his shift. He had gone to the back of the club, sitting in his elevated corner booth where he could watch over what was going on in the room without being watched back. His eyes were trained on the boy in the leather and silk that was tending the room's other booths, serving them drinks and nibbles. He had begun to notice a pattern over the times he had been working when Ulquiorra had come here. The boy would work almost overly efficiently until around an hour and half to two hours into his shift where he would then seem to lag and avoid the customers around the bar like the plague. It was unusual to say the least, and he had yet to be able to see the cause of this strange behaviour exhibited by the object of his mild curiosity.

He continued to watch the teal-eyed teen with that neutral expression he always seemed to hold. It wasn't strange to watch something if it held interest was it? To Ulquiorra it was about as normal to stare at a person as it was to stare at a TV screen.

It was easier to tell tonight from the late coming crowd what the cause of the unusual behaviour of his new object of interest, he could see it had something to do with the crowded bar, though why this was so was yet to be made clear to him. He watched as the boy looked over his shoulder at the men there every few minutes like he was hoping for someone to arrive -or someone to leave. Then the orders really started coming in as it got later and the casual drinkers were moving out while the clubbers were moving in.

Ulquiorra shifted slightly in his booth to get a better view of what was happening at this bar, it seemed the timing was perfect as he still had a clear path of vision down to the boy as he skirted obviously around the group. The attempt failed though as the frosty haired boy was pushed toward them by an oncoming group of people. It was then that Ulquiorra saw it, that hand that snaked around his object's waist to grab his...

Ugh, how repulsive! He would not let that boy be touched by such slimy filthy paws. -why he wouldn't let it happen would have to remain unanswered in his mind for now as there was the more pressing matter of that boy being felt up to be attended to.

Performing smoothly a surprisingly quick yet somehow seemingly casual walk down the steps and over to the bar, Ulquiorra made his way to the group, then slid his arm around Toshiro's shoulder fluidly and pulled him away from the touch with a glare at the pervert over his shoulder. It all contributed to one rather convincing -unintentional- acting performance like a possessive lover would. A seemingly impossible feat for one who does not feel emotion or any sensation even remotely close to love.

Toshiro flinched in surprise at the touch but does not question it as the safety it seemed to promise was too good an offer to pass up. He blushed softly a light shade of pink and looked down at his feet as he was led away from the group at the bar. "Th-thank..." He mumbled to his saviour, not looking up until it came time to say the second part of his sentence. His dark turquoise eyes widen in surprise. He knew his saviour; he had been his senior when Toshiro had been a junior. He had also been his secret love for the whole time they spent together at that high school. His Ulquiorra. "..._you_..." He mumbled even softer and with more emotion now. Ulquiorra had never even known his name but for Toshiro it was like a tidal wave of memories came flooding back. And there it was, that shiver ran through him now more powerful than ever, this was what it had been a forewarning of it seemed.

There was a slight frown on Ulquiorra's face as he looked down into those ocean-eyes. "You should not let them touch you." He said plainly in his cold unfeeling voice. His hand had dropped back limply to his side and he was now casually towering over the younger man. Why did he get the idea that the boy seemed to think he knew him from somewhere...


	2. Chapter 2

Toshiro was dumbfounded. Sure, he hadn't really expected to be recognised by Ulquiorra but still… he felt disappointed that there wasn't even a 'Hey, don't we know each other from somewhere?'. He knew full well that in reality there really wasn't any way that he _could _have been recognised by him since Toshiro had had his head in a book the entire four years and barely spoken a word the whole time. Sure he had admired from afar many a time, but that 'far' was very, very far.

He stared up at Ulquiorra with sort of blank eyes, he couldn't see whether or not he was making him uncomfortable though because Toshiro was focused on trying to explain to himself why the hell he was standing here a foot away from him! After a few more moments of the awkward silent stare he seemed to realise what was going on and blinked away, looking down at his feet and shuffling slightly with reddened cheeks. He was usually a lot smoother than this, but right now he was actually acting rather shy and adorable –as all good ukes should act.

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was honestly rather oblivious to the whole thing. He was not made uncomfortable by the blatant staring, as previously shown by his earlier comparisons of staring to television, so he was completely confused when it came to the suddenly awkward boy in front of him who was beginning to resemble a strawberry flavoured snow-cone. Ulquiorra was perfectly comfortable just looking at the boy close-up and didn't think that there was really any need for dialogue past what he had already said.

He moved his emerald and obsidian eyes slowly over Toshiro's form, memorising each part of him one at a time –why, you ask? Because he could, and to Ulquiorra that was all the reason he needed. First he took in his hair, all the perfectly tapered points that seemed like they were effortless though up close he could see that the boy must really slave over his hair night and day to get it to remain that way, then his eyes drifted downward to his body (He was saving the face for last) and studied the toned muscles that were revealed by the low V in his silken shirt before they moved even further toward the oh-so-tight leather pants and the way that they really left even less to the imagine than that shirt of his. Ulquiorra continued his silent tour of Toshiro's body for a moment longer before dragging his eyes back up to his face.

If he was bothered enough to use his facial muscles he would have done something about that slight frown from before but instead it remained as he watched Toshiro look away from him. What was wrong? Was Ulquiorra not attractive enough? Was he embarrassed about something? Why was he so very red now? Ugh, all these questions and no answers. Ulquiorra's curiosity had increased ten-fold since actually speaking to his little barmaid. "Look up." He said in that quiet, deep, silky voice.

Toshiro started and looked up as ordered, meeting his eyes once more with deep oceans of cyan. Why was he being inspected so? Was something wrong with him? Oh no, was he being even more awkward than he thought? Was Ulquiorra disturbed by his awkwardness?! Ugh, so many questions and no answers. And why was the only sentence being spoken to him just an order? How confusing. "W-Why…?" He asked in a soft tone that could barely be described as a whisper.

Ulquiorra tilted his head a few degrees to the left, "Because I want to look at you." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And to him it was. He didn't care to elaborate at all, leaving Toshiro with only those seven words to go on. Surely it must have been enough, he was curious and so he wanted to investigate. Toshiro appeared to be a little slow on the uptake.

"But…_ Why?_" Toshiro asked again, he was feeling so, so lost by the current situation. He couldn't seem to bring himself to say more than he already had for fear of seeming dimmer than he did already.

There was long pause before Ulquiorra spoke again. "You interest me." He stated in that same tone as before, like it was obvious to everyone but little Toshiro. How did he not understand already? "You continue the same routine every day that I come here and I want to figure out why."

"You…y-y-you want… to get to know me?" Toshiro stumbled again. His day suddenly seemed to have picked up in the best of ways. There was a hint of a smile that pulled now at the corners of his lips and it hinted in his ocean-eyes. He gazed up at Ulquiorra, hoping he wasn't betraying his thoughts too much. In fact, Toshiro was already imagining dates and cute couple things in his mind and it had begun to get out of hand already.

Ulquiorra's slight furrow turned into a full on frown as he looked down at the strange boy. It seemed that his head was away in the clouds now. "That was not what I said, was it?" He says in his cold unfeeling tone. "I wanted to know why you do what you do, that has nothing to do with getting to know you. I don't do the friend thing." He muttered and glanced over his shoulder a little before full on turning and walked back up to his spying booth.

Toshiro was a tad shocked by the abruptness of what Ulquiorra was saying, why was he being so hurtful after saving him? It was just adding another level of confusion to what he already had on his mind. His imaginings of them together evaporated and he returned to the present. "Uh… um, wait, Ulquiorra wait!" He called after the raven haired form that faced away from him now. No way could he be so easily abandoned after having a reunion he had longed for since the day of the senior year graduation.

So he really did know him from somewhere. How else could the object of his curiosity possibly have known his name? Ulquiorra stopped and stood still to contemplate this thought. He couldn't think of a time he had ever seen that face before –surely he would have remembered those eyes. This new occurrence had him wary now and as well as curious.

Ulquiorra turned to watch Toshiro silently with a blank expression, showing he was now also taking his time to be lost in thought. He continued to stare at Toshiro from his perch half-way up the stairs for approximately two or three minutes before speaking once more "You know my name. How?" He said coolly and looked intently toward the boy. Why was he so flustered now?

Yes, poor Toshiro was crushed now. All that Ulquiorra was thinking about was how he knew his name after all that saving and staring and the strange confusing comments. "We went to… to high school together… You were the year above me." He mumbled and looked away toward the table his three bosses were sitting briefly to make sure they hadn't noticed his absence from the bar. It would appear he was safe –for now at least.

High school? How many years had it been since then? Five or six maybe? If he was in the year above and had never had a conversation with this boy, how could he have remembered not only his face but his name as well? That was… unusual. "I do not know you. I have a good memory yet I have not seen your face until after I started to come here." He said and watched as Toshiro made sure he wasn't going to be caught slacking, he was such an awkward individual.

*Oh no,* Toshiro thought, *He's realised I was a total stalker…!* He bit his lip and shifted his weight a little "Well um, that was because… I was always… I liked to… I had…" He tried desperately to come up with an excuse for his creeper knowledge. It was looking like he had no other choice but to admit the real reason; it was the best way to explain himself without seeming like he had a scary good memory for no reason. A part of Toshiro felt kind of reassured by the fact that he knew that Ulquiorra probably wouldn't care either way no matter how it mattered to himself that he had loved Ulquiorra all that time…

Toshiro took a steadying deep breath and looked up at him. "I had a crush on you all through high school."


	3. Chapter 3

Oh my, well this certainly made Ulquiorra pause. He had never had someone confess to him before and he was unsure as to how he was meant to respond. He tilted his head once more to the side and stared at Toshiro like he was some kind of rare animal or something. "You can't love someone like me." He said in a chilling tone, a voice that really showed how much he had grown to believe that.

Toshiro couldn't believe that that was all that his admission had gained him. Why did Ulquiorra think such a thing? Of course he could love him! He had done so for so long a time that it had come naturally now as they met again. "I can if I wish." He said, almost defiantly as he looked up at Ulquiorra's askew face.

"No, you cannot. If one can't feel love then one cannot be loved. It's simple –though I understand why it might take you a while then." said Ulquiorra. Oh, Toshiro might need to apply some cold water to that burn… How heartless, to crush a boys heart and insult his intelligence in the same breath. He didn't even blink as he did so either, naturally he felt no guilt. Not much of anything really, apart from mild boredom at the turn this conversation had taken.

"Tch… I was the top of the honours role." Toshiro snapped in retort. "I understand perfectly, how…how… how stupid and just _mean _you are!" He shouted, enough to be heard even over the music. People stopped and stared at the two though poor little Toshiro quickly bee-lined it out of the club. He was embarrassed beyond belief at his lack of control and his speaking of his feelings so freely, and Juushiro and Shunsui were empathetic to that fact. They let him go home early and did a little damage control in his wake. Unfortunately it was in the group from the bar's wake as well…

Ulquiorra had returned to his seat in the booths overhead in the time it had taken Toshiro to exit. He did not see the boy go however; he faced away now from the door as it seemingly held no interest for him. Had the music not been turned down in the event of their skirmish on the floor, Ulquiorra would not have heard the group of bar stools as they scraped and shuffled in that awful squeaky way as the men got up to follow his poor little Shiro out the door. He tried not to look, tried to ignore the slight churn of his stomach. It was to no avail though as he glanced over his shoulder briefly only to see what he had hoped he wouldn't –the groper from earlier was gone, along with the rest of his pack.

The men had caught the door as it swung back when Toshiro left; leaving him unaware anyone else had left the bar. He was far enough ahead and deeply enough lost in his thoughts as he walked through the light smattering of snow on the walkway that the group trailing him really had found themselves an easy target. The snow softened the blow of their steps on the concrete, silencing them, and their soft chuckles remained mere background noise against the ambiance of the city.

Toshiro felt a violent shiver as he trudged onward home. He hated how he had let the night get the best of him and thoughts of Ulquiorra's cold and unfeeling words made his stomach churn a little as he replayed them over and over in his mind. 'You interest me.' And 'I don't do the friend thing.' What did that mean? He wanted to know all about Toshiro, and yet have nothing to do with him? But he had saved him at the bar… Toshiro shivered again, feeling the almost possessive curl of Ulquiorra's arm around him again and drew his overcoat around him as if its warmth would wash away the already-too-familiar touch.

He froze as he felt two large hands tightly grip his shoulders, stopping him mid walk. "Hey there, Snowflake, why don't you come and play with us for a little while~?" The voice in his ear was nauseating, a mix of cigarettes and cheap liquor, as he slurred his words to Toshiro. How had he not realised they were tailing him?! This was the worst day of his life, officially.

"Let me go…." Toshiro said softly and tried to shake his off as he turned his head away from the voice's source. "I don't want to 'play'." He looked up the path in front of him, desperately seeking anyone who would help, but of course this would be the one moment that the street was desolate apart from this one contingency of perverted men.

"Oh? Well good I was only being polite, because we both know I wasn't really giving you an option, Snowflake." The ring-leader said, now more gruffly as he yanked poor little Shiro closer. Toshiro squirmed in his grasp but now the others were beginning to hold his arms in place, tugging him slowly toward the closest alleyway.

Ulquiorra couldn't take the discomfort of not knowing if his boy was safe from those men or not. No, not_ his boy_, his object of interest. He let out a slight huff as he stood and walked through the crowd of grinding and jumping bodies that seemed to part like the Red sea before him as they saw him coming, although he failed to notice the looks he was being given as he passed them. He was troubled by the sensation in his gut, and he was never troubled, which just made him even more so.

He walked to the bar, which was now being manned by a tall man with long silver hair and was not in clothing that resembled at all what other workers in The Storm were wearing, which he assumed meant it was one of the owners. "Do you know where that group that just left a couple of minutes ago were headed?" He said softly as Juushiro went over to him. Ulquiorra was not one for beating about the bush at the best of the times, it didn't make sense to not just get straight to the point and the answers he needed.

Juushiro blinked a few times at the abruptness of the question, expecting an order for a drink in its place. "Oh, you're the one Toshiro was talking to earlier. No… I am afraid I don't. Is there an urgent reason you need to speak to them?" He asked, this was the one Shiro-chan had been arguing with… and confessing to. Juushiro appraised him as he listened to Ulquiorra's answer, wondering what the allure was of this cold indifferent individual.

"None that would concern you." He said in his chilled monotone before turning and stalking off swiftly down the hallway and out the entrance, into the newly falling snow, leaving Juushiro stunned in his wake.

Ulquiorra looked around, scanning slowly from left to right down the street, seeing nothing until he was facing right down the footpath to the right and saw just the end of a coat whipping into an ally. The muscles in his face twitched downward ever so slightly and he walked forward, faster now, though he did not know what this force was that was driving him forward. Curiosity? No, this was not just his usual need to know, but he had no label for it yet and so he forced the thought to the back of his mind, telling himself he look at it later.

Toshiro was struggling as much as he could but they had duct-taped his mouth and bound his wrists together with cable ties so tight that they cut into his skin, burning every time they twisted even a little. His eyes were tear stained as he came to the realisation that he would not be saved by anyone, that these men had planned this long enough to make sure he had no escape. They had torn off his shirt and were beginning to work on his pants as one held him up by the shoulders and the others held his legs as the leader began unbuttoning and unzipping them slowly, torturing poor Shiro.

As he turned into the darkness of the alley he knew he shouldn't be shocked by the scene before him as it was what he had expected to see, but still his eyes widened –like a normal human being would, not just a twitch but proper emotion showing on his face. His face fell back to neutral but then went into a full-on frown now. It seemed it was a day of firsts for Ulquiorra.

He saw the men restraining Toshiro balk when they laid eyes on the pale emerald-eyed man standing over them in the alley. This seemed like it would be too easy in his eyes, these guys were not nearly as tough as they made out to be.

The man working on Toshiro's tight leather pants stopped and stood still when he saw the others had and slowly turned to face Ulquiorra. "Oh… It's you…." He grumbled and tried to take a fighting stance, though he had obviously never trained properly to fight –unfortunately.

"You will hand him over now." Ulquiorra ordered, knowing he could kill this man where he stood if he tried, he would rather not as he didn't see much point in a fight he would obviously win. The men holding Toshiro seemed to instantly release him, but he was too tired from struggling to stand up, so he hit the concrete and snow hard. He clambered forward towards Ulquiorra awkwardly due to his hands in restraints and Ulquiorra scooped him up in his arms, holding him so close that Toshiro could hear his heart beating in his chest.

The ring leader growled "Next time, Snowflake. Next time he won't be here to save you. Come on guys, let's go." He snapped and stormed past them with the others clambering after him.


	4. Chapter 4

Ulquiorra did not look down to see if Toshiro was alright as he wordlessly turned and walked out of the alleyway. He already knew without looking that Toshiro was hurt –he didn't know exactly _how_ he knew, but he did. He kept his grip firmly around the trembling half-clothed body that lay snuggled up against his chest as though if he relinquished his hold even a moment, Toshiro would run from him. A normal person would assume from Toshiro's body language that the case was otherwise, but Ulquiorra was not normal by any stretch and all he thought of was the look of hurt he had last seen when they were speaking earlier.

Poor little Toshiro had his eyes shut tight. He didn't know where they were going, but figured anywhere was better than that dark dank place, making their destination even better was the fact that he would be with Ulquiorra. The fact that he was his saviour had completely overruled their earlier tiff, for now at least.

"Where do you live?" Ulquiorra murmured as he reached the end of the street they were on. He looked from left to right, he was not too far away from here but it was at least a half hour walk, more than that since he was needing to carry little Toshiro.

"…Hmm?" Toshiro blinked his eyes open and looked up at Ulquiorra's pale jaw as that was all he could see while he was cuddled against him. His eyes then widened in alarm. *I didn't call Ichigo or Renji! They're going to kill me when I get home…* "It's 2-21 Paladin Avenue... Cell-phone, I-I left it in my coat….and they took it" He groaned softly, and closed his eyes once more, hoping that Ulquiorra would be willing to save him from Strawberry and Pineapple as well.

Ulquiorra remained silent and decided that Paladin Ave. was closer, so he began walking there. He wondered why Toshiro was so tense about losing his phone; he could just get another one. Maybe he had to call someone, a boyfriend perhaps? He didn't understand why his brow furrowed ever so slightly at the thought. There was nothing Ulquiorra disliked more than not understanding things –naturally, this had become a very irksome day for him.

When Toshiro peeked out at the street he could see his house coming up to his surprise, Ulquiorra walked very fast considering he was carrying little Toshiro even if he was very small and light. He was kind of hoping that they would slow down as he had yet to prepare himself for what lay ahead when Renji and Ichigo saw him and this most unexpected extra enter the apartment, but it didn't seem likely.

As he looked up at the apartment complex, Ulquiorra thought he must've gotten the wrong place. There was no way that Toshiro could afford a place like this with his job's wages all by himself; it wasn't lavish by any stretch of the imagination, but in this part of town it certainly felt like it was. "This building?" He asked softly to Toshiro, who had managed to somehow snuggle closer against his chest, enough so that he was covered partially by Ulquiorra's coat. Ulquiorra put it down to him being cold from the snow.

Toshiro looked up at the building and sighed softly to himself, "Mmhm…" He mumbled and looked up at their floor, the lights were on which meant at least one of the two was home. "Number 4b." He said and shifted, wanting to get down and walk in with at least a small portion of dignity –Which Ulquiorra refused to allow. It looked like he was going to take him right up to the door in his arms.

His cheeks flushed a deep scarlet and he buried his face into the centre of Ulquiorra's toned chest. There was no way in hell he would give Renji or Ichigo fuel for their fire, Toshiro needed to get a handle on himself in the time it took to get to the elevator and down their hall way. Red had barely faded to a dark pink before the door swung open at the sound of their footsteps.

Looking up, Toshiro saw Renji holding the door wide open with an expression of utter surprise at the scene in front of him. "…Shiro? Iiiiiiiiichigooooo! He's home!" He called inside and then turned his gaze back to the pair on the door step. Renji's gaze was now morphed from surprise to one of speculation; he was trying to reason as to why they had appeared in such a fashion, versus asking them inside and getting them to tell him themselves. His eyes lit up "Don't tell me you…." A light shade of red appeared in his cheeks and he bit his lip with a slight giggle as Ichigo popped his head around the corner, he had the phone to his ear.

"Never mind, Kisuke, we found him." He said and hung up. How late was it? For them to be ringing his bosses… It must've been a long night, or maybe his bosses had called them and meddled after the scene in the bar; either way, Toshiro was totally busted and there was no way he was getting out of this without an inquisition. "Uhhh Toshiro… Who's the guy?" He asked with a raised eyebrow toward Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra stared at him blankly "Ulquiorra Schiffer." He stated and looked down to the blushing boy in his arms and then up to the other two who had reverted back to looking like stunned mullets. With a huff, he walked past them and into the apartment, realising that they were not going to invite them in. They seemed rather simple minded to him. "Room?" He said and looked at the doors that lead to rooms from the main living area/kitchen.

"Ah, um, first on the left, by the dining table." Toshiro mumbled, thank god he had tidied it before leaving! But now Ulquiorra Schiffer, his only love, was about to go into his room because he seemed unable to let Toshiro go, had he really passed out in that alley? Or maybe died and gone to heaven? Because this was his dream, although maybe the circumstances to get to this point were not ideal, and maybe he wasn't here for the reasons Toshiro wished he would have been, it was still a rush for him.

His heart was beating a thousand beats a minute as Ulquiorra pushed open the door and walked inside. The room was well-lit with stacks of books everywhere -the spines all lined up along one wall looked like wallpaper- and there was a double bed in the middle against the wall with white silk sheets and a white duvet with a dark turquoise band running along it, about a foot and a half before the bottom edge and matching bands running down the sides of the pillows. All in all, the room was quite plain for the most part.

It looked inexpensive in every aspect apart from the books; Ulquiorra thought they must be worth a small fortune. He walked over to the bed, gracefully avoiding the stacks of books and set down Toshiro. Toshiro may have thought he had tidied –and to him this _was _tidy- but to anyone else the myriad of books lying around looked like he had robbed a whole library and crammed them into the one room.

He then proceeded to sit across from him and stared for a while before murmuring "You are hurt." Never mind about cutting off the cable ties that held Toshiro's wrists or anything first.

Toshiro hesitated a moment before nodding slightly "uh…mm... these cuffs, they were biting in a little… and I got a little beat up in the struggle…" He said and looked down at his feet, ashamed that he had been so helpless against the men. It was embarrassing he had let himself be trapped like that.

Reaching around Toshiro, Ulquiorra snapped the ties almost too easily and freed his hands –though he quickly captured them in his hands to bring them up for closer inspection. Toshiro's wrists were sore and red with shallow wounds from pressure and friction; they looked like they might get infected easily if left untreated. Ulquiorra's eyes moved from Toshiro's wrists down to his bare bruised and scraped chest. He must've gotten a few scratches from the concrete but they were nothing. His bruises were the real concern; they covered one half of his rib cage in a splattering of purple and black in shapes resembling hand prints and fists.

Much to his surprise, a soft growl escaped Ulquiorra's throat. His emotionless emerald eyes blinked a few times and he tried to get a hold of himself. What was this boy _doing_ to him? "You need disinfectant and bandages." He stated and got up to go see what they kept for first aid in the house.

As he opened the door there were two loud thuds and Renji and Ichigo tumbled into the doorway. "Didn't you ever learn that it's rude to eavesdrop?" Ulquiorra said as he passed them, not offering to help them up at all. "I need the first aid kit now." He said it like it was an order to be followed by the two struggling up from the ground. And they did.

As Ulquiorra watched, the pair ran around the kitchen and searched the pantry till they came up with what he required. It seemed that since they had been embarrassed they were trying to apologize by being cooperative. Maybe they were afraid of him, or maybe there was a side to Toshiro that wasn't so helpless…

Throughout all the commotion of the last two minutes or so, poor little Shiro had been sitting on his bed, grumbling and trying to control the blush that was running rampant ever since Ulquiorra had been to gentle with his hands. Ulquiorra may have had a cold personality but his hands were so warm against Toshiro's skin and he could still feel their touch, much like how the feeling of his arm around him had remained before. He was curious as to why Ulquiorra hadn't just pulled a dump-and-run, this didn't seem very characteristic of him, and it seemed he knew it himself as well.

He tried to get up and see what was going on, but he felt a sickening grinding sensation and cried out in pain. It seemed Toshiro had a cracked rib under all that bruising. He crumpled onto the mattress and curled up. "Mmnh….ah…tch…." Panting and groaning softly to himself, he hoped that they had some strong painkillers.

"Hmm?" Ulquiorra turned and went back into the room to see what was wrong. "What happened?" He asked the quivering ball on the bed, sounding cold and unconcerned, yet inside he felt the slightest inkling of worry –even if he did not know to name it that emotion himself. "How have you managed to hurt yourself more?" He sighed softly; he knew Toshiro must be simple, but making himself more injured in the space of the three minutes away from him? That was just dumb.

"M-My rib… I got hit too hard and I tried to move but it's fractured I think." He mumbled and winced again. He looked up to see Ulquiorra had the first aid and smiled slightly, was he going to try and play doctor? That was kind of adorable considering the kind of person Ulquiorra was.

As he walked over to Toshiro's bedside and sat down, he carefully laid Toshiro out, trying not to hurt his rib or wrists. There it was again, Toshiro thought, that gentleness.

Ulquiorra stared at him for a few moments, his eyes as unreadable as ever. "Here." He said, breaking the silence and holding tablets to Toshiro's lips. After Toshiro took them, he held up a glass of water for him to swallow. After setting down the glass on the bedside table, Ulquiorra took Toshiro's right hand in his own and dabbed an antiseptic cream onto the lacerations around his slender wrist before bandaging it and repeating the process on the left.

Toshiro twitched a little when the cream stung the cuts but remained still otherwise, making it easy for Ulquiorra to complete his task. He ran his hands lightly over the bruises on Toshiro's chest, pretending not to notice the shiver it gave Toshiro and the expression of his embarrassment upon his face. Ulquiorra could feel the swelling and tried to be gentle as he felt for the break; the way that Toshiro was in pain he guessed it was properly broken, not just fractured. He knew there wasn't much to be done about a broken rib except put it in place and bind up his waist but he would try. "Find something to bite down on and try to relax." He murmured as he prepared to push the rib back to its original place.

Toshiro paled and folded the sheet up to chew it so it wouldn't break his teeth.


	5. Chapter 5

He let out a garbled muffled cry and squeezed his eyes shut tight in pain, his fingers digging into his palms and leaving deep red marks on the skin. There was a crunching grinding noise like before as the bone was pushed back into place. At least it was over quickly enough; Ulquiorra had done his best to make it quick. Tears fell unbidden onto Toshiro's cheeks as he opened his deep turquoise eyes to look up at Ulquiorra and he slowly released the chewed on sheet from his mouth, looking adorable despite all his injuries.

Ulquiorra stared back and brushed the messy snow-white hair out of Toshiro's face, wanting to examine his expression. "I am sorry." He said softly. He thought nothing of the contact, Toshiro's mind was whirling trying to understand, but there was really naught but curiosity to it.

It was so unlike him to apologise, and it caught Toshiro off guard. He blushed profusely and looked down at his now bandaged hands. "F-For what? You're the one patching me up." He said confused

"I let you get hurt, and it meant I had to hurt you just then too. I don't like to get people hurt for no reason." He said like it was the most obvious thing ever. It was illogical to have someone injured when he had had the power to stop it if he had just followed instinct earlier, but instead he had procrastinated and now he felt something like a sense of obligation to look after little Toshiro. Like it, but different. More.

"…Oh... I see… It wasn't your fault though, I was stupid. I let them get me because I wasn't paying atten-" He cut his sentence short, stunned into silence as Ulquiorra's gentle slim fingers wiped the tears from his eyes. He wanted to say something, like ask him what in the world was wrong with him, but he couldn't bear to speak in case it ended the moment too soon. Instead he just stared.

"I don't like seeing you cry, I want you to smile instead." He said. Ulquiorra had meant it as a command like how he usually ordered people around, but it came out in a tone he was sure he had never used before. "I mean… Stop crying." He mumbled and looked away, pulling away his hand at the same time. Was he sick? Maybe he was coming down with something because he had been out in the snow or something. That had to be it.

Toshiro gasped softly. Ulquiorra had said such a thing and, whether or not he knew it, had the most confused frown clearly on his face. He knew he would hurt himself in the process but he knew it was probably his only chance to make Ulquiorra realise his confession was a real one back at the bar, and that those feeling had held true all these years later.

His hands trembled slightly as he sat up and placed his hands on either side of Ulquiorra's head, turning it so he could look into his eyes. Ulquiorra's face returned to blankness as incomprehension flooded his thoughts. Toshiro moved closer, slowly since he knew if he surprised him too much he would get flat out rejected. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would explode as he parted his lips ever so slightly and his eyes became half-lidded.

Ulquiorra couldn't understand what was happening, it all seemed to go in slow motion to him as he watched Toshiro do whatever the hell he was doing. _Oh,_ he thought, H_e is trying to kiss me. Is this because I saved him before? _Ulquiorra couldn't think of any other explanation that would fit since he knew little Shiro-chan couldn't possibly love him. Something about the thought of a kiss only in gratitude put him off though, he didn't want that.

Ulquiorra carefully pried Toshiro's hands away with his own and pulled back, standing up and pushing Toshiro back to his lying position. He didn't realise that the wordless rejection would hurt Toshiro more than any of the wounds or an explanation. "One of your room mates can bandage your ribs." He said and left the room without another glance, walking right past the two in the lounge and out the door.

"Wait… Don't go… Don't leave…" Toshiro called after him but it was too late, Ulquiorra was gone and the door shut loudly in his wake. "Don't…" The tears from earlier fell in a fresh wave; how could he have been so stupid as to push Ulquiorra into something like that? He knew Ulquiorra didn't think about things like that, he knew he didn't think he could be loved, and now Toshiro had blown the only second chance with Ulquiorra he was ever likely to get.


	6. Chapter 6

Ichigo poked his head around the door tentatively before walking right over and gently tousling Toshiro's silken hair. Though Toshiro hated to admit it as he felt like it was patronising in normal circumstances, the touch was comforting and he tried to calm down.

He hadn't lost his cool like this since Shuhei had left him, no, even then the sense of grief had not been like this; if Shuhei leaving him had been like a wave on the beach, this was like a tsunami. And he hated it. Toshiro hated the way Ulquiorra could make him feel like this all over again with just a touch; he hated the way that Ulquiorra never ever seemed to understand what Toshiro felt; he hated the way that Ulquiorra had saved him only to leave him so brutally. He hated the way that, despite it all, he loved Ulquiorra.

As he sniffled softly and wiped away the tears although they were quickly replaced with new ones, Ichigo frowned. "What happened, Shiro? Did he hurt you? Was he the one that did this to you?" There was an edge in his voice, showing that his protectiveness was setting in. It was something Toshiro had always admired about him –how nothing could stop him from taking care of the people close to him.

Toshiro shook his head softly and looked down, murmuring "He did nothing to me. He saved me... from these men," He cringed slightly at the memory, "And brought me home, but I… It's my fault. I tried to… to…" It was hard to communicate what he was feeling when he kept hiccupping from the crying and sniffling. "I was trying to kiss him, so he left."

"Oh really? Well, I don't think it's your fault. You just went about it the wrong way, okay? He should have handled it better as well. I'll go find him and talk to him." He said and got up, ruffling Toshiro's hair once more. He knew that Toshiro wouldn't want him to but Ichigo felt that he needed to make Ulquiorra realise that he couldn't just treat people like that.

Ichigo told Renji he was heading out and told him to look after Shiro. Renji just nodded and went to the room with tissues, not asking what Ichigo was doing as he somehow already knew. He didn't try to stop him because he also wanted to give that guy a lesson as well.

After putting on his leather jacket and helmet, Ichigo went down to the parking lot and got on his motor cycle. He cruised out onto the street and went looking around. It didn't take long, of course, to find Ulquiorra as the streets were pretty empty this time of night and Ulquiorra had a distinct profile.

Ulquiorra throughout all this had remained calm and had now reverted back to his cold and uncaring state. For a while he had tried to comprehend the would-be kiss from earlier but hadn't made it past the conclusion that it must have been out of gratitude. He didn't want to know why the thought of kissing Toshiro made that weird feeling appear in his chest. Feelings made things complicated. He only cared about things he could see, emotions were a whole other ball game.

He turned his head as he heard the obnoxious sounding engine of an oncoming motorbike, although his expression remained impassive. Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly to the right as he watched the bike slow to a stop in front of him and its rider removed his helmet. It was Toshiro's roommate. "Are you looking for me?" He asked in his cool silky voice.

"I am." answered Ichigo. "Why were you so harsh in rejecting Shiro? He's had a hard day as it is, and now he is having a break down in his bedroom." Ichigo's eyes narrowed when he saw this seemed to have no outward effect on Ulquiorra. "Tch... Don't you care about him at all?"

Ulquiorra stared at him. What was the point of telling him this? He didn't understand it at all. The feeling welled up in his chest again but he quickly quashed it. "No." He stated and turned to begin walking away, trying to ignore the sense of wrongness in that single word as soon as it left his lips. He hadn't been harsh; it was just that he had nothing else to say. It wasn't like he was rejecting a confession or anything as Toshiro wouldn't try to make the same mistake twice would he? Then it occurred to Ulquiorra –in his mind Toshiro wasn't the brightest in this respect, so maybe he actually had attempted to convince Ulquiorra of his so-called 'love' again. If so, what should he do about it?

Ichigo watched as Ulquiorra hesitated and stopped mid step. Perhaps he should keep talking in case it helped Ulquiorra come to understand what he was doing by walking away. "You know, I have only seen Toshiro cry twice before, but the look in his eyes I have only seen once. I never thought you would be the cause not once but a second time as well." _There,_ Ichigo thought,_ Maybe that will get through to him._

After blinking a few times in mild surprise at Ichigo's statement he turned back to face him. "A second time? I have not talked to him before today; therefore what you say is impossible." He said, although in his mind he thought back to what Toshiro said at the bar. 'I had a crush on you all through high school.' Was Ulquiorra really at fault here after all? It was beginning to seem so, not that he was willing to admit it as of yet to himself, let alone the spikey orange-haired boy before him.

"Far from impossible, Ulquiorra. From what I have heard from Toshiro, you haven't changed at all. His feelings haven't either by the looks of things." Ichigo's frown deepened as he watched the ever-so-slightly noticeable realisation in Ulquiorra's face appear. What was wrong with this guy? Did he not believe in expression or did he have botox?

"But... I can't be loved. What Toshiro thinks he feels for me is all in his head. Love does not exist for me. It is far harsher to keep his hopes up than to dash them quickly." He said and looked out toward Toshiro's apartment building. "This is best for him and for me. It's troublesome otherwise."

"If everything is so _troublesome_ to you, why save him and then bring him back home, let alone tend his wounds?" Ichigo's voice was getting louder as he began getting more pissed off by Ulquiorra's comments. He didn't understand how someone could have such a view on life like his. It was almost sad.

"I ask myself the same thing." He said blandly and looked back to Ichigo. "Don't worry; I will stay away from now on. You need not worry about me hurting his _feelings_ anymore." Ulquiorra said the word 'feelings' like it was alien to him and then stalked off. He would not let the weird sensation of tightness in his chest get to him. He was going to go on as if tonight never happened in the first place. He would not go back to The Storm bar. He would not think anymore of his Toshiro.

Ichigo started after him but thought better of it. It would be better if he didn't tell Toshiro he had found him. _It would hurt him more to hear Ulquiorra's words, not give him closure…_ was Ichigo's thoughts on the matter. Oh dear, he hoped Renji was dealing with damage control okay –he wasn't renowned for his ability to deal with people when they were in a fragile state…

Sighing softly, Ichigo pulled his helmet back on and went back home to the two that were waiting for him. He felt a little guilty as he told them he had been unable to find Ulquiorra but knew he was protecting little Shiro as best as he knew how.


	7. Chapter 7

-Two months Later-

It had been a very long couple of months for Toshiro. His body had gotten thinner -his silk v-neck shirt hung a little looser on his arms and around his torso, whereas it used to contour nicely against his toned yet slender frame. His skin was pale and washed out and his hair had lost a bit of its silk shine. It was all due to him taking on double shifts at The Storm every night with only every second weekend off –By force from Juushiro, who was worried about his health and how it seemed to be very slowly deteriorating.

He was over working himself to try to forget the events of that day. To try to help give him peace of mind, Urahara had banned the group that had tried to attack Toshiro, but it hadn't seemed to help a lot. Everyone was worried enough that if he wasn't careful, there was going to be an intervention in his future. They were already making sure he was eating, and they were skirting around… certain topics… like it would set off a little Shiro-bomb. He didn't think he was that bad. Tired yes, but not in a constant emotional turmoil, and being tired was good, it meant he had been concentrating on work and that meant _not_ concentrating on Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra had not been back to The Storm, just as he had said to Ichigo he would. Some days Toshiro was thankful for that, but on others it just made him feel more tired and miserable.

He rested his chin in his right palm as he leaned on the bar. It seemed to be a slow night, even for a Tuesday, his body welcomed the rest and he closed his eyes with a soft huff. He told himself he was working so hard so that he could earn enough to afford going to a good university. Toshiro had been offered scholarships for the marks he had gotten after high school, but none of them were for fields he wanted or they were too far from home. He had few friends to begin with, and no family either, so moving away was not really an option. In the back of his mind though, his subconscious told him he was doing this in case just by chance he would get to see Ulquiorra one more time.

Ulquiorra was doing better than Toshiro, but only just. He wasn't showing any physical signs of exhaustion, but there was definite strain upon his mind. He had thrown himself into his work, trying to please that son of a bitch that had been put in charge. It seemed he had finally gotten the knack of toeing the line and staying inside of the achingly small creative box he had been placed in. Sure, Ulquiorra used to say that he wouldn't pander, but it became blatantly obvious that that was the only way he was going to keep his job. He wasn't about to let thoughts of Toshiro distract him and ruin his hard work.

His natural inquisitiveness left him always wondering what his Toshiro was doing that day in his breaks. Every day he told himself he hadn't lied to the orange-haired roommate those two months ago, and that he wasn't about to make it a lie now… He said that to himself more than once a day usually. Ulquiorra wanted to know if Toshiro was okay, if his rib had healed, and if those men had tried anything more._ What if they have? And I wasn't there to stop it… They said they would but they seemed too scared to really try it again…_ Damn it! After two months of the agony of not knowing he was not going to suffer it a moment longer.

Ulquiorra got up from his desk, leaving the blueprints scattered on it and went out the door, grabbing his coat and keys on the way.

The wind outside was still chilled as it was only just turned springtime, and Ulquiorra pulled his coat around himself tightly to fend off the cold. He couldn't believe what he was doing at this time of night but he could not rest until he saw that Toshiro as alright. It was going to drive him insane otherwise.

Telling himself that he would not let Toshiro know he was there, he went into The Storm concealed from view of the bar by a group of people. It seemed quiet and Ulquiorra wondered if he had made the best decision because if more people didn't come in soon, Toshiro was going to notice him eventually.

He slipped past the bar and up to his booth -the one he had been observing Toshiro from before the incident that night. In the back of his mind he knew it was unlike him to worry about sneaking around, or to worry about someone for that matter, but it seemed unavoidable if he was to stop this sensation in his chest.

Folding his arms over the leather back of the booth and resting his head on them, his deep jade eyes stared down at the bar where his little Toshiro sat. -Little was right too, he had lost weight. Was he ill? On the up hand, he seemed to have recovered from the rib injury and his wrists appeared unmarred at this distance. Ulquiorra let out a soft breathe that could easily have been construed as a sigh of relief.

"He's okay, if that was what you were wondering..." A deep masculine voice sounded softly from behind him. A man with long wavy brown hair pulled back in a long tail and rugged looking facial hair was standing at the end of the booth's table.

When Ulquiorra turned but made no comment he continued to speak. "The name's Shunsui Kyoraku. I am one of the owners here. I believe you are our little Snowflake's saviour." It wasn't a question, and that made Ulquiorra wonder how much they knew of that night. Probably just about the incident in the alley he assumed, but then why would he tell Ulquiorra that Toshiro was alright?

"I am Ulquiorra. Don't tell him I was here." He said in his usual cool voice. It was softer than usual, almost as if saying his own name might summon Toshiro to his side. "That was all I wanted to know. I will be going now." Scooting to the end of the bench seat and standing, he moved up just past Shunsui when a hand halted him by his shoulder.

Shunsui sighed softly and looked out to the bar where Toshiro was serving the people who had just come in. "You know… we're like a family at this place. I don't want people in my family being hurt. You're hurting him more by leaving him without a word, he may be okay for now, but he's deteriorating. I watch him working so hard all day every day; he can't handle it –the waiting for you to come back. He throws himself into his work trying to distract himself but on nights like this, he just ends up having more time to think." He stepped back to look at Ulquiorra. "I don't know how well you know him, but Toshiro doesn't deal well with abandonment. It opens up old wounds in his heart." Shunsui said before leaving Ulquiorra to himself once more.

_Abandonment? I… suppose I did abandon him, but I thought I was doing the right thing… Was it really?_ He thought. Ugh! Again he had so many questions buzzing around in his head. It was strange to Ulquiorra that they seemed to have had the same coping mechanisms to distract themselves. He tried not to dwell on the fact and proceeded to continue his watch. Sure, he had said he was leaving, but just two more minutes could hurt no one.


	8. Chapter 8

After the extra two minutes he had allowed himself to stare, Ulquiorra turned back to the steps and got ready to go home. He halted mid step when he heard a man call Toshiro's name. It was not one of the people he knew and with new curiosity he peeked over the railing of the steps.

A man with unusual tattoo bands around his neck and arm and dark spikey hair was leaning over the bar in front of Toshiro, who looked like a deer in the headlights. "Toshiro… Shiro… I made a mistake, please come back home." He said and leaned even closer. His words made Ulquiorra twitch slightly. Why was this man so familiar with Toshiro? Had he acquired a new roommate in the last two months?

Toshiro gasped softly and his eyes widened. Why the hell was Shuhei here?! He was the one who had kicked Toshiro out in favour of some skanky woman he met at work. If Ichigo and Renji hadn't taken him in he would have been out on the streets right now. "Tch… I-It's been more than a year, and you're only realising this _now_?!" He wanted to be convincingly angry, furious even, but in his state it was mostly effort in vain even though really meant what he had said. Poor Shiro had had a speech prepared for so long to make Shuhei feel like the asshole he was but he couldn't even remember half of it when faced with the actual situation.

"Look," Shuhei said as he ran his hand through his hair and looked away, "I know I hurt you a lot, but I always came back to you! It just took me longer this time round."

He sounded like he was actually sorry but Toshiro couldn't bring himself to believe him this time. Why should he have to endure that vicious cycle again? It was always like that, ever since they got together. Shuhei would be gone for weeks at a time, gallivanting off with numerous men and women –Toshiro had lost count after the seventh or eighth time. "One little apology doesn't change things now Shuhei. You always say you're sorry but you never change! I am so sick and tired of being pulled back by the same tricks! It's never about you wanting me, it's always just you feeling bored and you think that I will just come crawling back! Not this time." His voice grew louder and louder with every sentence until he was growling at one obviously shocked Shuhei.

Ulquiorra was almost shocked. Almost. Never had he anticipated that Toshiro could actually look angry when he argued. He had looked kind of like a house cat that was trying to be a lion when Toshiro had been arguing with Ulquiorra that night. It seemed like his outburst had not yet discouraged Shuhei however, as he was still trying to win Toshiro over.

"You have to believe me baby, I want you back. I know you'll come back anyways so let's just stop making a scene and go home." He said and walked around the bar to stand in front of Toshiro. "Come on…" Shuhei's had reached for Toshiro's shoulder to pull him with him as he walked out.

Toshiro pushed him off and glowered at him with narrowed eyes. "If you think you are taking me with you, you are sorely mistaken." He hissed. There was no mistaking, little Shiro was pissed. Off.

Shuhei smiled slightly. "Oh cute, you're trying to play hard to get? Okay, I will indulge you~." He said in a patronising tone. He stepped forward to Toshiro once more and grabbed his wrist more firmly so he wouldn't wriggle away. A pale hand suddenly appeared, pulling him away from Toshiro.

"He said no, let go of him." Ulquiorra said in a low menacing tone. This man wasn't about to force himself on Toshiro if Ulquiorra had anything to say about it. Stepping further in front of Shuhei, he put himself between him and Toshiro, who looked like he was fuming with rage now.

"Of _course _you're here too! Can't I catch a break?! I don't need you protecting me just because I look like I am in trouble! I can handle this!" Toshiro growled, turning his anger onto Ulquiorra. "Why bother even coming back here when all you do is interfere and make things worse for me?!" He could feel his voice about to crack as he yelled and his eyes were watering a little. "I don't need you. I don't!" Although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself almost as much at the others.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he turned to stare at Toshiro, a sharp tightness in his chest. "But… he was going against your will." He murmured, not understanding. Last time Toshiro had been grateful for his help so why was he berating him now?

The look in Ulquiorra's eyes made Toshiro pause briefly but he steeled his resolve once more. "Both of you... GO NOW!" He yelled and looked away, not wanting to see those emerald eyes anymore. Just when he was beginning to feel like he could get back to normal and now he was going to renew his suffering all over again.

Shuhei sneered. "You'll come back to me. I promise you that." He turned and stalked out of the club and went to go chase somebody more willing to indulge his needs. There was no point in fighting a losing battle when he was only looking for some fun.

"You don't need me…" Ulquiorra's face fell back to its neutral state. The feeling in his chest was more than uncomfortable now. He didn't like how those four words had such impact on him, so he refused to show and put his walls up. There was no way he was going to let Toshiro affect him so.

The turquoise depths of Toshiro's eyes looked down at the ground. "I…. No…" He shook his head from side to side but it seemed that his raging out just before had taken up most of his energy. He moved so he could lean on the bench top of the bar. "I don't need… to be protected. I don't need you to save me just to disappear as soon as you think the job is done. What is the point of doing this if you are just going to leave again?! Go before I…" _Before I beg you to stay with me._ His thoughts finished.

"I have found that it is too difficult to leave you alone, despite the promise I made. And if I hadn't intervened, that man would have over powered you for sure." Ulquiorra look Toshiro's hand gently and looked at the red marks that had appeared from Shuhei's grasp. There were also thin silvery scars from the lacerations that he had dressed just before he left last time. "I will protect you even if you say you don't need me to. How could I let you get hurt if I have the power to stop it?"

The colour in Toshiro's cheeks at his words turned from mild pink to scarlet. Ulquiorra had never been known to say such things, and here he was, promising to protect Toshiro? _I must have passed out while I was at work. This situation is so ridiculous it must be a dream, and that means I can do this and there will be no consequences…_ He thought. Oh! How mistaken he was!

Toshiro yanked his wrist down so the Ulquiorra was lurched forward and before he knew it, Toshiro was… Kissing him?! This time Toshiro hadn't made the mistake of giving Ulquiorra a choice to run away, he had just gone straight for it and left Ulquiorra without a moment to understand what was going on.

As he stared into space, Ulquiorra tried to comprehend what was happening, as was everyone else that had witnessed the spectacle. He stood frozen in place as he felt Toshiro's satiny soft lips against his. So this was what it felt like to kiss someone? Hmm… it wasn't as bad as Ulquiorra had thought since the concept had seemed odd to him to begin with. Why was he doing it though? For the last ten minutes Toshiro had been ranting his head off and now this? As if Ulquiorra didn't have enough questions left unanswered after the Shuhei incident...


	9. Chapter 9

"What...?" murmured Ulquiorra as soon as the warmth of Toshiro's lips left his. He could still feel the touch lingering on them and it didn't feel at all unpleasant. "I don't understand you at all. I wanted to know why you do what you do, but I never seem to do anything except wind up with more questions."

If Toshiro didn't know better, he would say that was the tiniest hint of something that could only be described as enjoyment in Ulquiorra's eyes, but at that moment he was more focused on Ulquiorra's words and it was at then that he realised that there was no way this was a dream- his own mind wouldn't question his actions. He had kissed Ulquiorra in dreams before and never before had that been the reaction. His eyes widened and an intense shiver ran down his spine as he realised what he had done. "I um, I'm going to go… do something." He stammered and practically sprinted to the staffroom and locked himself in the bathroom, thinking _Holy shit, I _kissed_ him! I actually did it! But what was with that look afterwards? I don't think I will ever understand how he thinks…_

Sliding down to the floor against the door, he sighed and closed his eyes. Toshiro couldn't believe himself, in his tired stupor he had acted so recklessly. And he had hurt Ulquiorra with his words, he knew it. Toshiro felt like a horrible person.

Ulquiorra wondered what on earth was going through Toshiro's head that was making him act this way. He looked to Shunsui and the other two he was sitting with whom he assumed were the other owners; Shunsui was smiling and shaking his head softly with the others. Was this amusing to them? Ulquiorra wasn't exactly one who was renowned for his sense of humour so he failed to comprehend. Were they laughing at him? Or Toshiro? Or both of them?

His gaze returned to the door of the room Toshiro was now hidden in. Why do something like that and then run away and hide? _Perhaps he thinks I will be angry with him…_ Ulquiorra thought to himself, though he made no motion to go and check on him. He lifted his fingertips to his lips and brushed them lightly trying to explain why that sensation had felt so… the best he could come up with to describe it was 'strange'. The description didn't satisfy his curiosity, however. Ulquiorra needed to feel it more to try to understand it and the way that the feeling had erased that tightness in his chest.

The man with long silver hair stood from the group at the table and sighed softly. "I'll go check on Shiro; he should probably go home and rest after all that…" He said softly and looked to the other two, "Maybe you two should do some damage control and get the mood in here to lighten up?" With a wave of his hand he walked off and headed into the staffroom.

Juushiro knocked on the locked door and tried to open it. "Come on Toshiro. Open up and stop this silliness." It was almost like how one would talk to a child that was locking themself in their room. "Do you want Ulquiorra to go home thinking that you don't want to see him?"

Toshiro grumbled softly and closed his eyes. "I…guess not." He said and slowly stood up, opening the door for Ukitake. "But at the same time I don't want to see him, I'm so embarrassed." His face was disgruntled but he was so red that he looked more like an angry tomato. "Surely he must have gone already anyways, why would he stay?"

Juushiro smiled gently and ruffled Toshiro's hair. "Perhaps you should ask him that yourself? I think you should go home for the day, it seems you two have things to work out…" He practically forced Toshiro out to where Ulquiorra was despite his protests and waved goodbye along with the others. It would appear Toshiro had no choice but to do as they said.

He walked by Ulquiorra without looking up at him for fear he would lose what little nerve he had left. "C-come on… Let's go." He mumbled and pulled on Ulquiorra's sleeve to lead him out. Despite trying to control the blush that was running rampant as he did so, Toshiro became even redder much to his dismay.

Letting himself be tugged along by little Toshiro, Ulquiorra watched him curiously. He had just about given up trying to logically explain what had happened in the last half hour at the bar and this was just another thing to add to the list. "Where are we going?" He asked in a soft voice, knowing he would have to deal with the two imbeciles that Toshiro lived with if they went to that apartment. There was always Ulquiorra's apartment but…

"I want to go to your place." Toshiro said, trying to steady himself and be cool the way Ulquiorra did by mimicking his tone and the way he seemed to just order people around like it was nothing. No way was he giving Ulquiorra a chance to run away from him now –he may have hidden away just before… But that was different! He told himself that anyway. It was now or never and Toshiro new it. He couldn't afford to let Ulquiorra slip out of his grasp another time or else it was really over.


End file.
